ShmoopTube

Where Monty Python meets your 10th grade teacher.

Search Thousands of Shmoop Videos


Basic Trig Ratios Videos 4 videos

Verifying Trig Identities
1730 Views

Verifying trig identities is important, especially when you're about to let one of them into the country—which is why they should keep their pass...

Solving Trigonometric Equations
3719 Views

FYI: cats don't like to get wet. Okay, so that fact won't be relevant every time you solve trig equations, but it happens to be this time.

See All

SOHCAHTOA 4616 Views


Share It!


Description:

Sine is the opposite over the hypotenuse; cosine is the adjacent over the hypotenuse; and tangent is the opposite side over the adjacent side. Aha, now you see why there's an abbreviation.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:04

SOHCAHTOA, a la Shmoop.

00:07

Dorothy took the wrong turn on the yellow brick road and has ended up in the land of Sohcahtoa…

00:12

… where everything is abbreviated…

00:14

…from the meaning of the word Sohcahtoa…

00:16

… to the Sohcahtoan’s height…

00:17

… to their intolerance of small, yippy dogs.

00:23

Fortunately, The Wizard of Sohcahtoa averts a dognapping just in time

00:27

with an explanation of Sohcahtoa’s origins.

00:30

It turns out SOHCAHTOA stands for the three major trig functions, sine, cosine, and tangent.

00:44

Sine equals the opposite over the hypotenuse.

00:48

Cosine equals the adjacent over the hypotenuse.

00:53

And tangent equals the opposite over the adjacent.

00:59

Together, the abbreviations spell Sohcahtoa.

01:04

Let’s try an example…

01:06

Dorothy comes across a triangle in the land of SOHCAHTOA.

01:09

In order to keep going, she needs to solve for the sine, cosine, and tangent of the angle.

01:14

Sine equals opposite over hypotenuse, so sine of the angle equals four over five, or four-fifths.

01:24

Cosine is adjacent over hypotenuse…so three-fifths.

01:28

Finally tangent is opposite over adjacent, so four-thirds.

01:36

Looks like Toto will live to see another day outside the dog pound.

01:39

Because we all know what happens there.

01:41

Yes, Toto. Bacon and treats. Bacon and treats.

Related Videos

Surface Area of Cylinders
14741 Views

Haven't you always wondered how much cardboard it takes to encase a trunk warmer for your pet elephant?

Perimeter of Irregular Shapes
4864 Views

Want to figure out the area and perimeter of irregular shapes? Break them down into regular shapes. For example, a flower can be broken down into s...

Introduction to 3D Geometry
55503 Views

It's one thing when all those shapes are sitting flat on the page. But when they start popping out and invading our personal space bubble, we get a...

An Introduction to 3D Geometry
815 Views

Does thinking about 3D Geometry get you bent out of shape? Never fear! Watch this video and figure out some fun new shapes to bend back into. We're...

ACT Math 3.5 Plane Geometry
394 Views

ACT Math: Plane Geometry Drill 3, Problem 5. How long would it take for the wheel to make two rotations?